Michelle Obama Says America Is Still ‘Not Ready’ for a Woman President

Former first lady Michelle Obama says the United States still has a fundamental problem with the idea of a woman in ultimate political power — and that deep-seated resistance is a key reason she has no interest in running for president.

In a candid conversation with actor Tracee Ellis Ross, recorded at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and released Nov. 14 on Obama’s YouTube channel, the former first lady said the country has “a lot of growing up to do” when it comes to accepting women as national leaders.

“As we saw in this past election, sadly, we ain’t ready,” Obama said. “That’s why I’m like, don’t even look at me about running, because you all are lying. You’re not ready for a woman. You are not.”

Ross had asked whether traditional expectations of first ladies, and the role’s roots in “wifedom and femininity” — still shape how Americans picture power, and whether that makes it harder for voters to imagine a woman behind the Resolute Desk. Obama did not hesitate.

“So don’t waste my time,” she added. “We got a lot of growing up to do, and there are still, sadly, a lot of men who feel like they cannot be led by a woman, and we saw it. I think we still have growing to do in that regard.”

Obama’s remarks come despite her own enduring popularity. For years she has ranked among the most admired women in the country and, at times, outpolled her husband during his presidency. A 2024 survey even briefly positioned her as the only Democrat who might clearly defeat Donald Trump in a hypothetical matchup, sparking another wave of “Michelle 2024” chatter. She brushed it aside then and is doing so again now.

Her comments also acknowledged the political reality faced by women who have tried to break that barrier. Two of the Democratic Party’s last three presidential nominees — Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris, were women, and both ultimately lost to Trump. Obama campaigned aggressively for Harris in 2024, drawing large crowds and urging voters, particularly men, to back women’s leadership and protect reproductive rights.

Even so, Obama suggested the problem is bigger than any single candidate. The question, she implied, is not whether she will ever step into the race, but whether the country is truly willing to elect a woman at all.

Although public speculation about an Obama presidential run resurfaces every election cycle, she once again shut the door on the idea. Her decision, she made clear, is not about fear of the spotlight or lack of qualifications, but about a nation she believes has yet to prove it is ready to follow a woman into the Oval Office.

Alongside the political conversation, Obama is promoting her new style and memoir project, The Look, in which she reflects on the fashion, symbolism and scrutiny that defined her years as first lady. But on stage in Brooklyn, her focus was less on clothes and more on culture — and on the work she believes America still must do before a woman’s bid for the presidency is seen as normal, not exceptional.